Largest ever EU survey reports on LGBT discrimination

Results from Europe’s biggest ever survey on LGBT discrimination and hate crime are released today.

Over 93,000 people responded to the EU LGBT survey conducted by the EU Fundamental Rights Agency. The Agency (FRA) provides evidence-based advice to EU and national decision makers so as to inform debates, policies and laws on fundamental rights.

The survey covered experiences in daily living, discrimination, violence and harassment and rights awareness. It is a huge amount of data and it provides very important information on the experiences of LGBT people across Europe.

Results indicated that half of all respondents indicated that they had been discriminated against or harassed because of their sexual orientation in the previous year. 60% of respondents said they would not report incidents because they felt that nothing would be done. 2 out of 3 LGBT respondents were hiding or disguising being LGBT at school.

Across all areas of the survey transgender respondents recorded higher levels of actual and perceived violence, discrimination and harassment.

57% of Irish respondents said that they avoided holding their same-sex partner’s hand in public because of a fear of being assaulted or threatened.

31% of Irish respondents indicated that they had been physically/sexually attacked or threatened with violence at home or elsewhere in the past 5 years. (EU figure was 26%)

74% of Irish Respondents knew there was legislation preventing discrimination in employment on the basis of sexual orientation.

The majority of respondents across the EU favoured increased visibility of LGBT issues and identity in schools, education and information for public officials on LGBT issues, recognition of same sex relationships and other targeted actions as having a positive impact on tackling discrimination and harassment.

The FRA have developed evidence based advice to member states and the European Commission (who asked for the study to be undertaken).

Included in the advice, which is summarised here, is a call for recognising and protecting victims of hate crime . This is something which the State and An Garda Siochana do not currently undertake. There is no hate crime legislation or data gathering not only for crimes against LGBT’s but also for crimes on the basis of ethnicity and race and disability.